Hal Hershfield – Eric and “E” Juline Faculty Excellence in Research AwardThis award is given annually to recognize excellence in research among the school’s assistant professors.

Margaret Shih – La Force AwardThe La Force Award for Leadership is intended to recognize and honor an individual Anderson faculty member who has demonstrated his or her leadership in making UCLA Anderson a better place.

Miguel Unzueta – Faculty Community Engagement AwardThis award is intended to honor a UCLA Anderson faculty member who exemplifies service to the school through his or her engagement and support of students, alumni and/or prospective students outside of the classroom.

Marissa Sharif – Xavier Drèze PrizeThe Xavier Drèze Prize is given for the best Ph.D. student research paper.

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Moving Forward: Can We Solve L.A.’s Housing Affordability Problem?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d28c087c970c2017-06-12T18:16:54-07:002017-06-12T18:18:02-07:00Photo: Owen CL, Unsplash.com By Carolyn Gray Anderson Last March, Los Angeles voters rejected proposed limits on the construction of large-scale buildings, limits that included a two-year moratorium on development of dense, high-rise residential properties. In a city where working-class and middle-income households are increasingly forced to prioritize housing costs...UCLA Anderson

Photo: Owen CL, Unsplash.com

By Carolyn Gray Anderson

Last March, Los Angeles voters rejected proposed limits on the construction of large-scale buildings, limits that included a two-year moratorium on development of dense, high-rise residential properties. In a city where working-class and middle-income households are increasingly forced to prioritize housing costs over medical care, food and even transportation, it was a decisive defeat for ballot Measure S. But will augmenting the pace and quantity of available dwellings really make living here more affordable for anyone but the super rich?

The UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate studies the problem of housing affordability as it reaches crisis levels in California. The constraints are especially acute locally because although there is an immense amount of wealth concentrated in L.A. and land values are extremely high, ours is a very expensive city with no real wage growth within the working class.

Ziman partners regularly with the nonprofit Mercy Housing to organize symposia on topics germane to professionals in real estate, government and industry — but with a crucial public education component consistent with the mission of Ziman’s Howard and Irene Levine Program in Housing and Social Responsibility to promote the kind of dialogue that improves society in all economic sectors. Mercy Housing is a national nonprofit organization that provides affordable housing and supportive programs in 41 states to improve the economic status of residents, revitalize neighborhoods and stabilize lives.

The most recent Ziman-Mercy partnership produced a half-day symposium titled Moving Forward: Building Housing for L.A.’S Working Class and Middle Income Residents. Keynote speaker Ben Metcalf, director of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), unveiled the Statewide 2025 Housing Assessment, which reveals, among other things, that overall homeownership rates are at their lowest since the 1940s, while at least 30 percent of all California renters are housing constrained. This means they spend minimum one third of their income on rent every month. With land prices alone exceeding what average Angelenos can afford, low- and middle-income housing is built only with large public subsidies.

Ziman board member Kevin Ratner, president of Forest City Residential West, is a for-profit developer who leverages incentives like density bonuses to encourage affordable housing developments. Ratner said the biggest conundrum is in a luxury-level housing market whereby people who can’t afford rents and mortgages face no choice but to earn more and more money, endure distant commutes or leave altogether. “If you cater only to the top of the market,” he said, “affordability cannot be designed into your plan.”

With a regulatory environment that all panelists agreed is restrictive to an extremely counterproductive extent, how can L.A. be intentional about preserving access among existing stakeholders and carve out pockets of affordability in gentrifying neighborhoods?

This is where UCLA’s collaborative research comes in. Professor of Urban Planning, Social Welfare and Asian American Studies Paul Ong of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs brought to the Moving Forward conversation his expertise in the areas of gentrification and displacement. “The extreme ends of the spectrum are increasing at the expense of the middle in terms of household median income, and L.A. is the most expensive city relative to income,” said Ong. The foreclosure crisis that drove the recession alienated first-time home buyers and pushed property owners back into the rental market. With this, Ong said, came a noticeable shift to more expensive homes being built.

Panelist Ann Sewill, VP of housing and economic opportunity at the California Community Foundation, pointed out that new construction can cost $500,000 per unit in the densest areas of L.A. “Cost is what it is irrespective of intention or mandate to provide affordable housing. Nonprofit or for-profit, builders are builders. We need intentional targeted production that takes into account underreported income disparities.”

Experts and public alike are still trying to determine the best post-redevelopment models for subsidized housing. Mercy Housing California’s president, Doug Shoemaker, said, “We try to spend our affordable housing funding to solve multiple problems. We need a move to acquisitions and rehabs.” California is also revisiting ordinances for “non-conforming” apartments and what are classed as accessory dwelling units, broadening regulations and defining them as priced below market for the areas they rent in.

Left: Stuart Gabriel; right: Tim Kawahara

Density and transportation infrastructure cannot be factored out of the equation. Ziman Center Executive Director Tim Kawahara and others believe that L.A. needs more “upzoning” in appropriate locations tied to public transit and areas that promote walkability. “L.A. is updating its badly outdated planning system and 35 community plans that guide neighborhood-level development across the city,” he says. “This process will shape how L.A. will look for at least a generation.” The hope is that the city’s efforts lead to a more thoughtfully planned metropolis with equitable housing options for all residents.

There’s no question that affordable housing is a growth industry; but in the current regulatory environment developers stand to make the best and easiest money in the luxury housing market.

So why should an MBA — let alone an established business mogul — about to embark on a career in lucrative real estate transactions care about middle-income affordability when incentive is greater to encourage luxury housing and commercial starts?

Kawahara says that new constraints on the middle-income tier have far-reaching implications for the economy as a whole. “On a practical level,” he says, “it’s harder for businesses large and small to attract talent for hire if housing is too expensive. Entire companies will decamp to other states as their ability to turn a profit in California declines.” With more accessible housing will come better, higher-paying jobs in real estate acquisitions and property management that require the business acumen of an MBA.

There are health implications, as well, says Professor of Finance Stuart Gabriel, Ziman Center Director and UCLA Anderson Arden Realty Chair. People trying to afford housing in neighborhoods close to their workplaces or to decent schools must often accept environmental dis-amenities like adjacency to major freeways.

Gabriel’s latest research investigates the broad economic effects of the 2009 California Foreclosure Prevention Act and other crisis-period foreclosure prevention laws that attenuated the decline of the California housing market. The annual Mercy collaborations are meant to spark new thinking around widespread access to housing in expensive markets like L.A. Ziman produces research that can inform policy and industry alike. As Gabriel says, “State agencies and nonprofits have neither the staffing nor the resources to undertake fundamental assessment of the causes and broader consequences of the lack of housing affordability.”

Globe-Trotting Avatars Just Got This UCLA Anderson XPRIZE Visioneer a Step Closer to $20 Million in Fundingtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b7c8e055ce970b2017-03-14T14:42:08-07:002017-03-28T16:00:21-07:00Illustration: PC By Ioan Istrate (’17) I had the opportunity to work with the XPRIZE Foundation, laying groundwork for a new technological concept involving avatars. The project demanded the networking skills I gained at UCLA Anderson, my pre-MBA business acumen and a wealth of entrepreneurial skills gained during my six...UCLA Anderson

Illustration: PC

By Ioan Istrate (’17)

I had the opportunity to work with the XPRIZE Foundation, laying groundwork for a new technological concept involving avatars. The project demanded the networking skills I gained at UCLA Anderson, my pre-MBA business acumen and a wealth of entrepreneurial skills gained during my six months with XPRIZE, the nonprofit that makes radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity by encouraging technological and social development through a high-profile, public competition model.

How I got there

Since I was in high school I’d been following the world-changing impact of XPRIZE. I was fascinated by their ecosystem that connects science, entrepreneurial vision and financial capital to develop new industries and social change.

Once I moved from Bucharest, Romania, to L.A., I tried to connect with several organizations I admired, including XPRIZE, reaching out to team members through LinkedIn and social media and attending as many events as I could. My network, as well as the efforts of UCLA Anderson’s Price Center to connect Anderson to XPRIZE, helped me secure an invitation to participate in the inaugural Visioneers program.

My role and responsibilities

Visioneers is an internal XPRIZE program meant to develop the next generation of prizes. Nine teams competed in this six-month endeavor. Each team was sponsored by a large corporation or organization, and each was tasked with developing an XPRIZE concept from scratch. A “bold innovator” at the top of his or her field led each team of two prize developers, of which I was one. I joined the team sponsored by All Nippon Airways (ANA) led by Dr. Harry Kloor, one of the founding members of XPRIZE and a visionary entrepreneur, writer and movie producer.

Our concept incentivizes the creation of avatars ― robotic terminals remotely controlled from anywhere in the world. Users will see, hear, touch and feel the world through the ANA Avatars, revolutionizing how people travel, communicate and interact with one another.

The first step was brainstorming and deciding together which problems we wanted to solve and how to create a commercially viable solution. Starting in late May, I focused on analyzing 10 global industries, modeling their expected evolution against the disruptive impact of their technology.

I spent almost a month in Japan building an initial base for the prize’s ecosystem, forging various partnerships, predominantly with the robotics community there. I had the honor of meeting a wide range of impactful leaders, from C-level executives from established corporations, such as Sony, to leading professors and enthusiastic startups.

The final phase of our work was also the most exciting. We had to present our concept during the XPRIZE Visioneers Summit at the end of September, and we decided to turn our presentation room into a Hollywood-level experience. To prepare for this, I basically lived in a studio at Hollywood and Vine for two weeks, working side by side with award-winning special effects and design companies. Together we developed a virtual reality simulation and a series of promotional videos and animations. I also worked with two A-list actors in recording their voices for the VR experience and video narration.

THE XPRIZE Visioneers Summit

The culmination of my experience was the 2016 XPRIZE Visioneers Summit, a three-day event attended by almost 300 preeminent members of the XPRIZE community and other distinguished guests. They gave valuable feedback to our concept and together we refined how to make it a reality. Personally, it was a humbling experience to learn from — and party with — entrepreneurs who make the covers of magazines, high-ranking government officials, members of royal families and famous celebrities.

The author with music producer and artist Pharrell Williams and a Japanese AI robot at the inaugural XPRIZE Visioneers Summit in 2016

Our project was a success, being selected as one of the top 3 concepts to be implemented. We also took a step toward ensuring the $20 million in funding to make it happen. The ANA Avatar XPRIZE will be released toward the end of summer 2017, and I am excited to see my work unfold in the years to come. The first stages of the Avatar XPRIZE will be focused more on building the technology ecosystem we started forming last summer. Once teams are formed, a series of reality TV shows and other video and VR entertainment will make it commercially self-sustainable, and we hope the general public will be inspired to push these ideas even further.

Continued impact

Apart from the amazing, diverse experiences I had over those months, I learned tremendously from creative people’s thinking, problem-solving approaches and lifestyles, all of which served as a great source of inspiration. Even more, this made me reevaluate my own position and professional aspirations. I had no fixed plans when I came to Anderson, and I recruited in several industries, such as consulting and tech management. But thanks to my experience with XPRIZE, I now envision following an entrepreneurial path upon my graduation from Anderson.

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A Stellar Lineup Will Ask — and Answer — Questions about the Future of Health Care in Californiatag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d268c2de970c2017-03-08T18:00:32-08:002017-03-08T18:00:32-08:00All students registered for the third annual UCLA Anderson Healthcare Conference on Saturday, March 11, will be invited to a pre-conference networking night on campus on Friday, March 10, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The evening will feature a senior executive keynote speaker from conference sponsor Blue Shield of California....UCLA Anderson

All students registered for the third annual UCLA Anderson Healthcare Conference on Saturday, March 11, will be invited to a pre-conference networking night on campus on Friday, March 10, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The evening will feature a senior executive keynote speaker from conference sponsor Blue Shield of California. Cocktails and snacks will be served.

The “health care industry” impacts us all. It is an industry that intersects with technology, law, economics, government and countless other sectors. In the United States alone, the health care industry is worth more than $3 trillion.

How can California, the most populous and diverse state in the U.S., serve as the model for value, innovation and collaboration in health care? How will the changing political climate impact the Affordable Care Act? What are California’s strengths to face the upcoming challenges? What should you as a future global leader know, and why?

These questions intrigue and excite me. That’s why I’m attending the third annual UCLA Anderson Healthcare Conference, whose theme this year is Caring for California: Visions of Value, Innovation and Collaboration.

Value-based health care fascinates me personally. Let’s say a blockbuster biologic drug decreases your family member’s hospital stay, benefiting both the patient and the hospital (direct effect). This means that you, the caretaker, and your family member both go back to work sooner, increasing the flow of income to your household (indirect effect). The increased income leads to an increased flow of income tax to the government, who can now use the tax money for the greater public benefit (economic effect). This ripple effect is one aspect of value-based health care — though it’s the tip of the iceberg on this subject, which will be explored in depth at the conference.

Interactive panels will cover many other topics that include the Affordable Care Act, digital health and precision medicine. Opportunities to network with more than 300 participants will open avenues to new relationships and thought-provoking discussions among voices in industry, academia and government. I’m looking forward to keynote addresses by UCLA Anderson alumna Susan Tousi (’05), the senior vice president of product development at Illumina; and Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health. The conference closes with a fireside chat with Rich Roth, chief strategic innovation officer of Dignity Health. Other standout speakers include Senator Holly J. Mitchell, Amgen’s Amit Agarwal and Anderson’s own Dean Judy Olian. (I can assure you your health care “celebrity” moment!)

By the way, all of this great content comes with gourmet breakfast, lunch, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Did I mention this is one of the largest health care conferences in South California? It will be a Saturday well spent! I’m super-thrilled for this lineup to broaden my knowledge base and my network and to get my questions answered. I hope to see you at the conference!

CES at Anderson, Where Technology Shakes Hands with Sciencetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b7c8cc052f970b2017-01-20T12:15:00-08:002017-02-03T09:54:22-08:00Enjoy the complete album of photos from CES at Anderson UCLA Anderson’s annual CES® event, held in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM following the world-renowned CES conference in Las Vegas, attracted audiences among the wider community of UCLA students, faculty and staff, as well as industry professionals and...UCLA Anderson
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a class="asset-img-link" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ucla_anderson/albums/72157677243491712" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f231f970d image-full img-responsive" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="UCLA Anderson CES@Anderson" src="http://blogs.anderson.ucla.edu/.a/6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f231f970d-800wi" alt="UCLA Anderson CES@Anderson" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Enjoy the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ucla_anderson/albums/72157677243491712" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="CES at Anderson on Flickr">complete album of photos</a> from CES at Anderson</strong></p>
<p>UCLA Anderson’s annual CES<sup>®</sup> event, held in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)<sup>TM</sup> following the world-renowned <a href="http://www.ces.tech/Conference" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="CES Conference, Las Vegas">CES conference</a> in Las Vegas, attracted audiences among the wider community of UCLA students, faculty and staff, as well as industry professionals and business leaders.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="CES at Anderson">CES at Anderson</a> differentiator is the university context, where rigorous scientific research meets entrepreneurship across disciplines. Professor <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#mehta" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Mayank Mehta">Mayank Mehta</a>, who teaches in UCLA’s departments of physics and astronomy and neurobiology, and Dr. <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#ramezani" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Ramin Ramezani">Ramin Ramezani</a>, assistant adjunct professor of computer science, both lent expertise to panels that explored machine learning, artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Several Anderson alumni chimed in with insights from their positions at companies that include Epson, Sengled and Deepgram. <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#decker" title="Dyan Decker">Dyan Decker</a>&nbsp;(’02), PwC’s U.S. forensic technology leader, sat down with <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Easton Technology Management Center">Easton Technology Management Center</a> faculty director John Blevins for a conversation about CES in Las Vegas, where the emphasis was on rapidly developing smart home technology and the race to refine virtual assistants.</p>
<p></p>
<div id="photo-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f2482970d" class="photo-wrap photo-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f2482970d photo-full " style="float: left; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; padding: 5px 10px 5px 0px; width: 169px;"><a class="asset-img-link" href="http://blogs.anderson.ucla.edu/.a/6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f2482970d-pi"><img class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f2482970d img-responsive" title="CES at Anderson Supra Studio" src="http://blogs.anderson.ucla.edu/.a/6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f2482970d-800wi" alt="CES at Anderson Supra Studio" border="0" /></a>
<div id="caption-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f2482970d" class="photo-caption caption-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f2482970d">UCLA's Supra Studio</div>
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<p>CES at Anderson featured keynote addresses by <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#sahota" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Neil Sahota">Neil Sahota</a>, worldwide business development leader and master inventor in the IBM Watson group, and <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#sawhney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Ravi Sawhney">Ravi Sawhney</a>, founder and CEO of RKS Design. The popular technology exhibitors’ fair proved as lively as ever — despite uncharacteristically wet weather. UCLA made a strong showing with innovations from the <a href="https://uclabiomechatronics.wordpress.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="UCLA Biomechatronics Lab">Biomechatronics Lab</a> and <a href="http://www.aud.ucla.edu/programs/m_arch_ii_degree_1.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Supra Studio">Supra Studio</a>, as did startups like waterless detail-on-demand service <a href="http://www.foxla.com/studio-11-la/studio-11-la-features/36697185-story" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Envi">Envi</a>, which was incubated at <a href="http://laincubator.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator">Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator</a> and hires deaf people to wash cars where drivers direct them through an app. The <a href="http://www.medl.ess.ucla.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="UCLA Modeling and Education Demonstrations Laboratory">UCLA Modeling and Education Demonstrations Laboratory</a> brought its interactive <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE1B7tdGCw0">augmented reality sandbox</a>, a 3-D topographic map that responds to users’ sculpting of terrain.</p>
<p>MBA students Marcus Barton (’18), Alec Bialosky (’18), Shu He (’18), Joseph Lee (’17) and Sridutt Nayak (’18) and undergraduate Ann Nguyen (B.A. ’18) compiled their impressions of the presentations, reporting that the “universe of possibilities” seems infinite — though, given that even non-tech companies play a key role in advancement of technology, keeping pace with the evolving needs and expectations of 21st-century businesses continues to be a challenge as new technologies blossom.</p>
<p><strong>Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>2016 was a breakthrough year for AI, machine learning and deep learning, as we finally have the computing power and access to large enough data sets to apply newly developed algorithms. Beyond self-driving cars and image recognition, it’s still unclear what problems that AI/ML will solve next. The challenging part is having the creativity and vision to understand the universe of possibilities for patterns between data sets that humans cannot see but that are detectable by machine learning technologies.</li>
<li>CES at Anderson panelists said they expect flexibility to be a key component of future AI/ML. Today’s ML technology mostly utilizes single algorithms, and we can expect more powerful insights from future technologies that are capable of deploying multiple algorithms in unison to determine which solutions are most likely to solve a given problem. Major barriers to adoption include providing access to the infrastructure required for large computing requirements, sharing of data sets across the major players (like Google, Facebook, Amazon) with third parties, and a lack of understanding exactly how these technologies can be implemented at a more granular level to solve pain points for businesses.</li>
<li>Deep learning allows software to write software, illustrating the machine’s ability to learn from data as well as experience, similar to how humans learn. Deep learning has essentially transformed the mature field of algorithmic research. Whereas algorithmic research is hierarchal and built by decisions trees, deep learning is flexible and complex, it exercises and attempts to match all possibilities from a sea of data. Panelist <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#gamido">Brian Gamido</a> (’08), head of business at Deepgram, explained: “Deep learning started off with something like recognizing a pet, then faces, then identifying familiar faces, then analyzing nuances between consumers and companies to anticipate needs and wants.”</li>
</ul>
<div id="photo-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25dd970d" class="photo-wrap photo-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25dd970d photo-full " style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a class="asset-img-link" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ucla_anderson/albums/72157677243491712" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25dd970d image-full img-responsive" title="UCLA Anderson CES@Anderson Brian Gamido Dyan Decker" src="http://blogs.anderson.ucla.edu/.a/6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25dd970d-800wi" alt="UCLA Anderson CES@Anderson Brian Gamido Dyan Decker" border="0" /></a>
<div id="caption-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25dd970d" class="photo-caption caption-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25dd970d">Left to right: Brian Gamido, Sengled exhibit, Dyan Decker</div>
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<ul>
<li>Although there are limitless opportunities for DL innovation, there are also current barriers to adoption. In the medical domain, machine learning is dealing with the issue of too much data. Currently, data collection in this field is so large that it’s difficult to visualize what selections would be most effective in solving a specific set of problems. As IBM’s Sahota pointed out, “Medical knowledge doubles every five years.” And machines, though arguably faster at computing solutions than humans, are for the moment not making decisions, they’re just providing information.</li>
<li>PwC’s Decker said MBAs should look for opportunities in advancing voice recognition software, particularly for children and visually impaired people. Drones, robots and other hardware innovations notwithstanding, she said, software and cloud computing power are really what’s accelerating tech. Although CES is a technology-based convention, there’s a trend of more companies across industries (media, entertainment, travel) taking an interest. Companies are thinking about how to maximize their revenues and new ways to ease the customer experience through technology. “So many industries and businesses are being created from scratch that no one thought of before,” Decker said.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Virtual Reality and the Connected World</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Current wearable VR technology is associated with fatigue and frustration. Inability to get visual feedback from hands and feet can cause feelings of disembodiment and interfere with the brain and its functioning. UCLA’s Professor Mehta explained how the perception of physical space is formed in human brains and said nearly 60 percent of the neurons shut down when a person experiences VR. The other 40 percent, soberingly enough, are located in the same nerve centers that get actuated in Alzheimer’s and epilepsy patients. A much needed “handshake” between the tech and science communities to orchestrate AR and VR development could curtail long-term negative effects. The industry, Mehta said, should push the envelope within limitations.</li>
</ul>
<div id="photo-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25a0970d" class="photo-wrap photo-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25a0970d photo-full " style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a class="asset-img-link" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ucla_anderson/albums/72157677243491712" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25a0970d image-full img-responsive" title="UCLA Anderson CES@Anderson Mayank Mehta Ramin Ramezani" src="http://blogs.anderson.ucla.edu/.a/6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25a0970d-800wi" alt="UCLA Anderson CES@Anderson Mayank Mehta Ramin Ramezani" border="0" /></a>
<div id="caption-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25a0970d" class="photo-caption caption-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb096f25a0970d">Left to right: Mayank Mehta, UCLA MEDL AR sandbox, Ramin Ramezani</div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#ramly">Sami Ramly</a>, VR product and program lead at Wevr blamed the delay in widespread adoption of VR on the lack of the consumer content in that space. He said a dearth of mature technology is a barrier for people to create their own content, one of the primary reasons a platform like YouTube succeeded so wildly. <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#jani">Harnish Jani</a>, lead strategic designer and venture architect at BCG Digital Ventures, stressed the need for a robust network to handle data loads, better location tracking and triangulation devices, haptic sensors and high-fidelity cameras to provide high-resolution imagery.</li>
<li>Epson product manager <a href="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/easton-technology-management-center/events/ces-at-anderson/speakers/#leyva">Michael Levya</a> (’14) said Epson is building a comprehensive ecosystem for the VR domain, from developers to users, instead of adopting the one-off hardware approach taken by many. The company works with its enterprise customers to reduce their operational costs, adding more agility in the operation.</li>
</ul>
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Can Uber Create “Order Out of Chaos” When It Comes to Driverless Cars?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b7c8bce4a7970b2016-12-14T15:06:17-08:002016-12-14T15:06:51-08:00By Paul Feinberg Professor Keith Chen is a behavioral economist whose research blurs the traditional disciplinary boundaries in both subject and methodology, bringing unorthodox tools to bear on problems at the intersection of economics, psychology and biology. He recently returned to UCLA Anderson after a stint as head of economic...UCLA Anderson

By Paul Feinberg

Professor Keith Chen is a behavioral economist whose research blurs the traditional disciplinary boundaries in both subject and methodology, bringing unorthodox tools to bear on problems at the intersection of economics, psychology and biology. He recently returned to UCLA Anderson after a stint as head of economic research at Uber, the near-ubiquitous ride sharing platform.

Chen spoke last month at Anderson’s second annual Big Data Conference. His talk focused on Uber’s current challenge, what the professor called “running a ‘gig’ platform.” Much of Chen’s talk looked at Uber’s experimentation with the disruptive impact of driverless cars. He said that Uber was looking to “create order out of chaos.”

Regarding the value of self-driving cars, Chen noted that “everyone is richer when you don’t need to own a car,” inferring that Americans would have much more disposable income as driverless vehicles become more popular as, naturally, no one would need to actually own a car that drove itself, one would simply request a ride in one. He noted that 3.4 million Americans drive for a living, making up 3 percent of the work force. Of course, there is a concern that self-driving cars render human drivers obsolete. But Uber has done extensive experimentation with such vehicles in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the data is telling them that self-driving cars reduce the price of rides and increase demand for vehicles on the road. Until there’s a driverless car available for every rider, the demand for human drivers actually increases.

Data scientists at Uber, Chen said, focus on market and mechanism design. On the higher level, they are looking at pricing and dispatch matching to improve the user experience for riders. On a lower level, they study behavior of both drivers and riders. He noted that they spend a lot of time looking at data related to surge pricing and how riders react to different price levels. As an example, Chen said that the data indicated that more people were willing to hail rides at surge prices 2.1 times the normal rate than they were at 2.0 times the rate — a phenomenon that at first seems counterintuitive. Uber’s data scientists also began dividing city maps for drivers into hexagons instead of squares, which provided drivers with more and better information as to which neighborhoods offered better opportunities to pick up more and higher paying riders.

Chen also discussed how his team worked with drivers. Among their advancement, he said, was an instant pay platform that allows drivers to cash out their earnings on demand, instead of waiting for a week. Drivers who have a GoBank checking account are able to withdraw earned funds immediately, with Uber paying the fees. Drivers who use their personal debit accounts may also immediately withdraw funds, though they may incur banking fees. An analysis of the data Uber collected showed them that drivers worked 10 percent more hours after the institution of instant pay.

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Happiness Studies by Cassie Mogilner Holmes Recognized by Association of Consumer Researchtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b7c8b0fe25970b2016-11-17T15:57:09-08:002016-11-17T15:56:46-08:00The Association of Consumer Research has recognized UCLA Anderson Associate Professor of Marketing Cassie Mogilner Holmes with its 2016 Early Career Award. ACR is the preeminent society within the field of behavioral marketing. Holmes, who studies how focusing on time rather than money increases happiness, said, “I feel happy and...UCLA Anderson

The Association of Consumer Research has recognized UCLA Anderson Associate Professor of Marketing Cassie Mogilner Holmes with its 2016 Early Career Award. ACR is the preeminent society within the field of behavioral marketing. Holmes, who studies how focusing on time rather than money increases happiness, said, “I feel happy and grateful for this recognition.”

Established in 2010, the ACR Early Career Award recognizes contributions to consumer research by someone who received his or her Ph.D. within the last 10 years.

Having examined how the meaning of happiness changes over the course of one’s lifetime, how giving time to others can alleviate the stress of being time-constrained, and how ordinary and extraordinary experiences contribute to happiness, Holmes will continue her research on the relationship between time and happiness by asking, “How can we most optimally spend our time in order to increase our happiness and overall satisfaction in life?”

Each year, a panel of three ACR members is appointed by the ACR president to serve as a selection committee. The panel solicits nominations from the ACR membership and selects one or more recipients of the award for their scholarly contributions to the field of consumer research. Criteria used to determine contribution include innovation, methodological rigor and the potential to substantially advance our understanding of consumer behavior.

Dr. Chris Janiszewski, chair of the award committee, said, “Dr. Mogilner Holmes has written a number of insightful papers on how consumers initiate and manage happiness. She is the world’s leading [authority] on this topic. The award reflects the tremendous influence Dr. Mogilner Holmes has had on academic and industry audiences.”

Holmes said that when she was informed by ACR of the honor, she told them she “was truly happy and glad that reading the papers was worth the committee’s time!”

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UCLA Distinguished Professor Chris Tang Recognized for Analytical Research on Health Care Reimbursement Schemestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d207e468970c2016-07-21T11:50:54-07:002016-07-21T11:50:19-07:00By Elise Anderson Christopher Tang, UCLA Distinguished Professor of Decisions, Operations and Technology Management and the Edward W. Carter Chair in Business Administration, and his co-authors recently received an honorable mention for their paper titled “The Impact of Reimbursement Policy on Patient Welfare, Readmission Rate and Waiting Time in a...UCLA Anderson

The best paper competition was sponsored by the China Business Initiative of the Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business at Columbia University. The awards were presented at the recent annual Conference of Chinese Scholars Association for Management Science and Engineering (CSAMSE). The theme of the 2016 CSAMSE, Internet Plus and Scientific Management, reflects a desire to focus on the new challenges for the management practice of the traditional industries in the background of internet and mobile social networks, and the corresponding data-driven management techniques and tools. Scholars in MSE from around the world were invited to present their research at the conference.

Tang expressed surprise at the recognition, he says, “because the competition is fierce in China, especially for this kind of analytical research.” “I am delighted to receive this award because it shows Chinese scholars are interested in the key issues we examined in this paper: how would health care reimbursement schemes (fee-for-service vs. bundled payment) affect health care providers’ behavior when treating patients? Which scheme will provide the right incentive for the health care providers to improve quality outcomes (readmissions and waiting times)? We also believe the issues we examined are relevant to the public health care system in China.”

Tang’s co-authors, Pengfei Guo, Yulan Wang and Ming Zhao, are Chinese scholars affiliated with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Two of them received their Ph.D.s from Duke University. Tang conveyed his pleasure in working with them and looks forward to continuing his relationship on future efforts.

The Journal of Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Edited by UCLA Anderson Professor Chris Tang, Added to Financial Times Journal Listtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d1fc2c7e970c2016-06-23T10:10:57-07:002016-06-23T10:10:36-07:00Financial Times (FT) has added the journal of Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (M&SOM) to its list of journals used to rank global business schools, effective January 2017. “Having this journal on this list is important, as FT counts the per capita faculty publications in these journals to calculate the...UCLA Anderson

“Having this journal on this list is important, as FT counts the per capita faculty publications in these journals to calculate the research ranking of faculty,” says Chris Tang, current editor-in-chief of M&SOM and distinguished professor and holder of the Edward W. Carter Chair in Business Administration at UCLA Anderson School of Management. “This research score accounts for 10 percent of the Global MBA, Executive MBA and online MBA rankings.”

The FT journal list, developed in 2003, initially included 40 journals, adding five more in 2012. In 2016, FT invited the deans of 210 business schools to suggest journals to be dropped from or added to the list. Based on the votes submitted by 140 business schools worldwide, four journals were dropped and nine out of 150 journals that were nominated were added to the FT list. The M&SOM was among the most recent additions.

List of 50 Journals used in FT MBA rankings (effective January 2017):

Academy of Management Journal

Academy of Management Review

Accounting Review

Accounting, Organisations and Society

Administrative Science Quarterly

American Economic Review

Contemporary Accounting Research

Econometrica

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

Harvard Business Review

Human Relations

Human Resource Management

Information Systems Research

Journal of Accounting and Economics

Journal of Accounting Research

Journal of Applied Psychology

Journal of Business Ethics

Journal of Business Venturing

Journal of Consumer Psychology

Journal of Consumer Research

Journal of Finance

Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis

Journal of Financial Economics

Journal of International Business Studies

Journal of Management

Journal of Management Information Systems

Journal of Management Studies

Journal of Marketing

Journal of Marketing Research

Journal of Operations Management

Journal of Political Economy

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

Management Science

Manufacturing and Service Operations Management

Marketing Science

MIS Quarterly

Operations Research

Organization Science

Organization Studies

Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes

Production and Operations Management

Quarterly Journal of Economics

Research Policy

Review of Accounting Studies

Review of Economic Studies

Review of Finance

Review of Financial Studies

Sloan Management Review

Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal

Strategic Management Journal

Why Seth & Lauren Rogen and Maria Shriver Are Talking Alzheimer’s at a Business Schooltag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b7c81c9b4a970b2016-03-01T16:45:03-08:002016-03-01T16:45:03-08:00View photos and video from the event By Britt Benston Alzheimer’s disease can actually bring a greater capacity for understanding. When Lauren Rogen’s mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s before the age of 60, Lauren was left dumbfounded. “I was 25 when my mom was diagnosed. Nobody my age was...UCLA Anderson

Alzheimer’s disease can actually bring a greater capacity for understanding.

When Lauren Rogen’s mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s before the age of 60, Lauren was left dumbfounded.

“I was 25 when my mom was diagnosed. Nobody my age was going through it, nobody was talking about it,” she recounted.

“But people started contacting us. And I was, like, ‘Oh! I am not alone.’ There are so many people out there who want a voice, who want to share their story, who want to take action. We became very lucky — there was an organic growth that happened because there was a need for it.”

The force of this disease and our own understanding that we must live with it is turning Alzheimer’s care into a cause for grace and alarm, thanks in part to Lauren and Seth Rogen, a powerhouse couple with global reach (remember The Interview?).

On February 24, their cause received a major boost when they combined efforts with Maria Shriver — Alzheimer’s patient advocate, former California first lady and journalist. They brought collective wisdom and some achingly funny moments to UCLA Anderson as part of Anderson’s Impact Speaker Series and Shriver Media’s Architects of Change Conversation Series.

“I didn’t realize there was no treatment, in any shape or form. That was surprising to me,” Seth said. “It’s also the most expensive disease in America, to people and to the government. And that’s what surprised me the most, that America would allow their most expensive disease to go completely unchecked. We have something that’s costing us money, and have no way to stop it.”

The Rogens and Shriver have learned that getting more and more people to talk about it — and laugh in its wake — is the best treatment.

“Sometimes a thing is just so sad you have to laugh,” said Lauren. “There are many beautiful sad stories and events that are classy and sincere, but we wanted to break up that space a little bit and be louder, a little bit raunchy, and really make some noise and get attention. If you’re focusing on Millennials, you have to step outside the box a bit.”

So the Rogens started Hilarity for Charity, hosting celebrity fundraising events and producing some hysterical videos to spread the message about Alzheimer’s, as well as to try to get the federal government to put more funding into a cure.

“We had Miley Cyrus do it this year. Bruno Mars performed the first year; I think he had some community service he was working off,” joked Seth. “I’m praying Kanye gets arrested, it would be great to have him.”

Apart from events and videos, the organization is also bringing the fundraising and awareness to universities, and not just in the form of speaking engagements.

“These students come together and form their own groups and we give them online fundraising tools. They sell cookies late-night to different fraternities and dorm rooms, they do car washes, they pick up trash,” Lauren said, describing their college awareness campaign.

The funds go to a more practical, functional part of the nonprofit. “We have given away over 24,000 hours of care a year,” Lauren said.

“In-home care is the only thing that makes the situation livable, really,” Seth added. “I get to see the firsthand proof that we’ve helped people.”

“One of the things we created which I’m very proud of is an online support group that takes place in multiple time zones every other week,” Lauren said. A regular support group, she said, can be so hard to access. But support systems can’t be the only treatment surrounding the disease forever. “By 2050, there will be 15 million people with Alzheimer’s. Those are some really scary numbers, especially when you consider the amount of care that is needed to treat someone with this disease.”

This fact begs the answer to the question, why are the Rogens and Maria Shriver talking Alzheimer’s at a business school?

“Business is the place that can now solve the world’s problems,” Shriver said. “When I was growing up, politics was the place that people went if they wanted to change the world. I think what’s interesting about speaking here is, you’re all in business school getting graduate degrees, and (learning) how to use those degrees to think about cures, to start companies that can change the way we live.”